November 7 - December 5, 2014

Santa Barbara, CA - "This exhibit concludes a year-long celebration of our move back
into our newly renovated building. We are celebrating the future by celebrating our
past," explains Sarah Cunningham, director of the Atkinson Gallery when describing
the impetus for Santa Barbara City College's first ever alumni exhibition that opens
Friday, November 7th. "This exhibit is the beginning of a larger effort to reconnect
with our past students," says Joy Kunz, chair of the Art Department, "the Art Department
serves over 2400 students a year and we want to celebrate their accomplishments as
alumni of SBCC."

The SBCC Art Alumni Invitational showcases work from nine artists who studied in the
SBCC Art Department between 1966 and 2013. "We are extremely proud of our former students.
It's very exciting to see the fantastic work they are making now," says Professor
of Art Ed Inks. Working with faculty and community contacts, Cunningham identified
a cross-section of talented alumni artists working in the many media taught in the
Art Department including painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation and ceramics.
Ken Bortolazzo is a Santa Barbara-based sculptor whose kinetic works are represented
by Sullivan Goss, An American Gallery. Evelyn Contreras is a printmaker from Goleta
who is pursuing her BFA from Cal State Long Beach. Jules de Balincourt is a painter
from New York and whose first American museum retrospective is opening at the Modern
Art Museum of Fort Worth later this month. Jessica Mei Flemming graduated from San
Francisco Art Institute in 2012 and has recently exhibited at Ever Gold Gallery. Noel
Korten retired as the director of the LA Municipal Art Gallery and is now a full time
studio artist in Los Angeles. Miri Mara, who learned ceramics at SBCC after retiring
as a fashion designer, recently opened his own production studio and gallery in Carpinteria.
Madeleine Tonzi is a painter who lives and works in the Bay Area, and is a practicing
artist at FaultlineArtSpace in Oakland's Fruitvale district. Cal Volner-Dison, a conceptual
artist who received his BFA from SFAI, has exhibited at Yerba Buena Arts Center and
the 10th Lyon Biennial. Eric Vrymoed is an UCLA-trained sculptor who also works as
a mount maker and art installer.

The Atkinson Gallery, Santa Barbara City College Art Department's showcase for the
visual arts, hosts six exhibitions of contemporary art each academic year featuring
international, national, regional and student artists working in a wide range of styles
and media. The gallery is located on SBCC's east campus in room 202 of the Humanities
Building. Gallery hours are: M-Th 10am-7pm & Fr-Sa 10am-4pm. All gallery exhibits
and lectures are free and open to the public. This exhibit is generously supported
by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and funded in part by the Organizational
Development program using funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara in partnership
with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.